#Ethiopia: Drivers Association reports over 30 truck drivers kidnapped in two weeks, cites growing insecurity in war-hit #Amhara region

More than 30 truck drivers have been abducted in Ethiopia’s Amhara region over the past two weeks, according to the Tana Heavy Vehicle Drivers Association, which attributed the increase to what it described as “growing insecurity” and “a lack of accountability for armed groups” amid the ongoing war between federal forces and #Fano militias. A senior official from the Association, who spoke to Addis Standard on condition of anonymity, said that while abductions began in 2017, “the incidents have worsened recently,” and added that kidnapping has become “a risk-free occupation” due to the absence of “effective control.”

The same source identified the Checheho–Gayint–Debre Tabor–Woreta route as “a dangerous corridor,” and noted that although the Gondar–Chilga–Metema road had reopened after a two-month closure, “within the first week of reopening, an Isuzu FSR truck driver was kidnapped, and another escaped after gunfire was opened on him.” He also recounted a separate attack on 28 May near Michbiny, in which “the driver was shot and is now being treated at Bahir Dar Hospital,” while “his assistant was kidnapped and taken to an unknown location.” According to the official, ransom demands range from “50,000 to one million” birr.

Solomon Zewdu, Executive Manager of the Ethiopian Heavy Vehicle Drivers Association, said that driver safety is relatively stable in regions with government presence, such as Afar and Somali, but that “the situation in Amhara has deteriorated over the past two years.” He pointed to parts of Gayint, North and South Gondar as danger zones where drivers face “open robbery.” He said attackers “stop vehicles with explosives and weapons, rob the drivers, and shoot them if they resist.” Solomon added that the Association is in talks with authorities and is advising drivers “not to travel at night” and to “move in groups.”

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50572

#Commentary: Worse Than Evil: How stupidity fueled #Ethiopia into a raging inferno

Ethiopia has been gripped by relentless violence and atrocities across its regions over the past six years, writes Ezekiel Gebissa, the author of this commentary. He cites examples ranging from mass murder in #Tigray to indiscriminate killings in #Oromia, drone strikes in #Amhara, and the assassination of high-ranking government officials and prominent public figures. He notes, "The country is descending into an unfathomable underworld where life is nasty, brutish, and short."

Drawing on German Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s concept of "cultivated stupidity"—a rejection of reason and critical thinking that enables ordinary people to follow immoral orders without question—Ezekiel argues that many Ethiopians have endorsed this "state-sanctioned violence." He points out that even "bishops and imams, otherwise paragons of peace and reconciliation, publicly preached violence and viciousness." The author adds that dehumanizing rhetoric from top government officials, calling opponents “nocturnal beasts and invasive weeds,” has normalized brutality.

The article states, “Ethiopian politics became violent because Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed allowed governance to be driven by a contrarian logic and exercised power by convulsive methods. In other words, policies were adopted if they were contrary to those of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), extreme violence was deployed to divide, muzzle, and neutralize alternative voices, and the public was corralled into aiding and abetting death and destruction.”

The author asserts that Prime Minister Abiy’s choice of "contrarian, corrosive, and convulsive politics has produced chaos, conflict, and an imminent collapse of the political order," effectively turning Ethiopia into "a land of blood for the last six years." He urges Ethiopians to heed Bonhoeffer’s call to view history “from the perspective of the outcasts, the suspects, the maltreated, the powerless, the oppressed and reviled, in short, from the perspective of the suffering” as a way to break free from this entrenched “cultivated stupidity.”

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50466

#CPJ, 31 others call for #UN scrutiny of #Eritrea’s human rights record

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 31 other non-governmental organizations in calling on the United Nations Human Rights Council to condemn grave human rights violations in Eritrea, including arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detention of journalists, violations of the rights to a fair trial, torture, and extraterritorial attacks on critics.

Ahead of the Council’s forthcoming session, which opens on 16 June, the rights groups also called for an extension of the mandate of the independent U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Eritrea, which expires in July.

As of December 1, 2024, Eritrea remained the worst jailer of journalists in sub-Saharan Africa, with 16 behind bars without charge or trial, according to CPJ’s latest annual global prison census. Of these, 13 have been in detention since 2000 or 2001.

In 2024, the Special Rapporteur Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker expressed concern about prolonged, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances in the Horn of Africa nation and described the imprisoned Eritreans as the “longest-detained journalists in the world.”

https://cpj.org/2025/05/cpj-31-others-call-for-un-scrutiny-of-eritreas-human-rights-record/

#Ethiopia: “We are invited to share the gospel’s message of peace and transformation with a generation longing for change” - PM Abiy

Addressing a gathering of evangelicals from across #Europe and beyond at the 2025 “European Congress on Evangelism”, which opened on 28 May in #Berlin, #Germany, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that the world today is “in desperate need of hope,” and that “carrying forward the legacy of those before us is a shared responsibility.

“We are invited to share the gospel’s message of peace and transformation with a generation longing for change,” he told the gathering, which was hosted by, Franklin Graham, as per a report by Christian Daily.

PM Abiy’s address to the “followers of Christ” included a message on the importance of love through action. “We are called to be the salt of the earth, demonstrating love through actions and deeds.”

The Prime Minister delivered the speech during the final leg of his tour, which was preceded by official visits to France and Italy.

#Ethiopia: Tigray Interim Admin seeks explanation from federal gov’t over cargo trucks halted in #Afar, #Amhara regions

The Tigray Interim Administration has requested clarification from the federal government after trucks transporting goods to the region were halted at multiple checkpoints in Afar and Amhara regions, Tigray Television reported. In a letter to Kassahun Gofe, Minister of Trade and Regional Integration, the region’s Trade and Documentation Agency said it had “learned from various sources” that cargo trucks heading to Tigray via Afar have been “prohibited from going to Tigray” at Serdo checkpoint since May 26. The agency called on the ministry to “take appropriate measures” and provide “an explanation as to why they were prohibited.”

Tigray Television stated that “light and heavy trucks” from different parts of Ethiopia and Djibouti were stranded at three locations in the two regions. It noted that vehicles on the Afar route were stopped at Serdo Meda, where drivers and companies had received “no solution” despite having “documentation” showing legal clearance. The broadcaster reported concern among business actors in Tigray, while drivers told the BBC that they had been halted on May 24 and were told “we cannot pass” due to what they described as an “order from above.” The BBC also reported that trucks using the route to Mekelle via Woldia in Amhara were similarly stopped.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50587

#Ethiopia, #IMF staff agree program review that could unlock $260 million

Ethiopia and the International Monetary Fund have reached a staff-level agreement on the third review of the country's $3.4 billion loan program from the lender, the Fund said on Friday.

Once approved by the IMF's Executive Board, Ethiopia will gain access to another $260 million in financing.

"The (Ethiopian) authorities' policy actions in the first year of the program have yielded strong results. The transition to a flexible exchange rate regime has proceeded with little disruption," the IMF statement said.

Macroeconomic indicators have performed better than expected, with substantially better outcomes than forecast for inflation, goods exports and international reserves."
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/ethiopia-imf-staff-agree-programme-review-that-could-unlock-260-million-2025-05-30/

#Ethiopian Health Professionals Association calls for halt to vacancy announcements targeting striking health workers, urges negotiated resolution

The Ethiopian Health Professionals Association (#EHPA) has urged the government to “immediately stop” issuing what it described as “vacancy announcements targeting professionals who are making demands,” amid a continuing nationwide strike by healthcare workers. In a statement released on 30 May, EHPA reiterated its support for what it called a “just and peaceful demand,” and stated that it had long called on authorities to give “an appropriate response.” However, the association said the lack of such a response has now resulted in a work stoppage that is causing “various hardships” to the wider public.

EHPA said it “welcomes and recognizes” the efforts of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (#EHRC) to mediate between the government and the striking professionals, and expressed hope that “the problems will find peaceful solutions.” It affirmed its commitment to “continue and strengthen” engagement with the Commission. The statement followed preliminary discussions between members of the Ethiopian Health Professionals Movement (#EHPM) and the Ministry of Health. According to EHPM, although no agreement was reached, “some level of understanding” had been achieved in a separate conversation with EHRC, which offered to “mediate with the Ministry.”

EHPA also called for the “complete and unconditional release” of detained health workers, describing the charges against them as “fabricated” and based on “unreasonable suspicion.” EHPA argued that the arrests violate rights to organize and collectively bargain, protected under international labor conventions ratified by Ethiopia. It also demanded “an immediate stop” to “dismissals from work,” the use of “threats and intimidation,” and vacancy postings aimed at replacing striking professionals.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50596

Exclusive: #Somaliland president says recognition of state ‘on the horizon’ following #Trump talks

The new president of Somaliland says his state, which broke away from Somalia in 1991, is on the brink of securing international recognition – a development that would inflame tensions in the already tumultuous Horn of Africa.

In an interview in the presidential palace in the capital, Hargeisa, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi tells the Guardian it is “likely” that Somaliland will finally win acceptance of its right to self-determination, which has eluded the territory since it declared independencefrom Somalia 34 years ago.

“Recognition is on the horizon,” says the 69-year-old.

Such a move would infuriate Somalia, which would view it as an attack on its sovereignty, unsettle regional powers in the strategic peninsula and fan broader concern that it sets a precedent for secessionist movements across the African continent.

Despite its relative stability and regular democratic elections, Somaliland, a territory of about five million people, has yet to be recognised as independent by a single nation.

“It’s a matter of time. Not if, but when and who will lead the recognition of Somaliland,” says Abdullahi.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/may/30/exclusive-somaliland-president-says-recognition-of-state-on-the-horizon-following-trump-talks

#Sudan #RSF leader vows push to #Khartoum, #Darfur governor denies retreat

Rapid Support Forces (RSF) deputy leader, Abdel Rahim Daglo, on Friday vowed his fighters would continue their eastward advance towards the capital Khartoum, adding that all the armed groups members of the Tasis coalition are now fighting along with his paramilitary group. While the army’s ally and the Darfur governor downplayed recent battlefield setbacks for the army as “reorganization.”

The RSF’s deputy leader told a gathering of his troops at an undisclosed location that they had achieved “great victories” in Al-Dubaibat and Al-Hammadi in South Kordofan state, and Al-Khawi in West Kordofan.

The RSF stated on Thursday that it had retaken Al-Dubaibat, Al-Hammadi, Kazgail, Al-Khawi, and Umm Samima in the Kordofan region. However, army-aligned soldiers later released video footage purportedly showing their control over Umm Samima, west of El Obeid, North Kordofan’s capital.

https://sudantribune.com/article301466/

#Ethiopia: CPJ dismayed by two-year sentence of Somali journalist; says conviction based on post he “did not write”

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it is “dismayed” by the sentencing of Somali journalist Ahmed Awga, founder of #Jigjiga Television Network, to two years in prison over a Facebook post the organization said he “did not write.”

In a statement issued on May 30, CPJ said the Fafen Zone High Court in Jigjiga, capital of Ethiopia’s Somali Region, found Ahmed guilty on May 22 under the 2020 anti-hate speech law. He had been detained since April 23, following what CPJ described as charges “initially related” to an interview he conducted with a man whose son had reportedly died “after an alleged police beating,” and “commentary” published on Ahmed’s Facebook page.

According to CPJ, the journalist was first charged with incitement, but the charge was later amended to “propagation of disinformation and public incitement,” as stated in the charge sheet reviewed by the organization.

https://addisstandard.com/cpj-dismayed-by-two-year-sentence-of-somali-journalist-says-conviction-based-on-post-he-did-not-write/?amp=1

#Ethiopia's Ministry of Health confirms first Mpox death; total cases rise to six

Ethiopia has recorded its first death from Mpox, the Ministry of Health announced on 31 May, as the total number of confirmed cases in the country rises to six.

According to the Ministry’s Mpox daily report, compiled jointly with the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (#EPHI), Ethiopia has so far reported six confirmed cases, with five currently active.

The update confirmed that one patient had died, marking the first Mpox-related fatality since the virus was detected in the country.

No new cases or recoveries were reported in the latest update, and there are no severe cases to date. According to the Ministry, nine laboratory tests were conducted, bringing the total number of tests performed since the virus's emergence in the country to fifteen.

Read more: https://x.com/addisstandard/status/1928873887002923092

#Op_ed: #Addis_Abeba's Urban Makeover: Why governance will make or break it

Addis Abeba is undergoing a significant urban transformation through the Corridor Development Project (#CDP), launched in 2022 to create cleaner, greener, and more accessible public spaces. The initiative has already delivered visible improvements, including new parks, walkways, and upgraded infrastructure. But as Dr. Kassahun Kelifa Suleman, the author of this op-ed, argues, its long-term success depends not on aesthetics but on governance. As he puts it, “It’s not enough to simply build infrastructure,” emphasizing that “The governance of these projects…is what will determine whether the CDP delivers lasting economic and social value for all residents.”

According to Dr. Kassahun, these developments are reshaping both the city’s physical environment and its social dynamics. Green spaces are helping reduce local temperatures by 2–3°C, improve air quality, and boost public health. However, he warns these gains are precarious.  “Addis Abeba’s governance system is struggling to keep pace with the project’s ambition,” he notes, raising concerns about the sustainability of these achievements.

A major challenge, he points out, is fragmented oversight. To illustrate this, the author references a 2022 study finding that only half the city’s green spaces are formally managed, with responsibilities split across multiple agencies. Financial constraints add to the problem, Dr. Kassahun notes, as the city's budget may not stretch far enough to maintain all the new infrastructure. 

To secure the CDP’s future, he recommends three key actions: “institutionalize green space governance,” “empower communities,” and “leverage technology” for smarter oversight. Without these steps, Dr. Kassahun cautions, “the project’s achievements could be short-lived.”

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50615

#US airstrikes in #Somalia killed up to 174 people in 2025, monitoring group says

At least 109 to 174 people have been killed in 34 U.S. airstrikes conducted in Somalia so far in 2025, according to a report by the New America Foundation, a Washington-based policy institute that monitors American drone and airstrike campaigns worldwide.

The organization did not specify the number of non-combatants killed. The report also noted that “during Trump’s first term, AFRICOM carried out 219 airstrikes in Somalia that left 6–31 civilians dead.”

The rise in airstrikes coincides with an escalation in U.S. military operations against extremist groups operating in Somalia, including al-Shabaab and ISIS-Somalia. U.S. Africa Command (#AFRICOM) has intensified its efforts to support the Somali government in counterterrorism operations across the country.

General Michael Langley, commander of AFRICOM, recently acknowledged the uptick in strikes, saying the U.S. remains committed to “disrupting and degrading” extremist networks that pose a threat to regional and international stability

https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/us-airstrikes-in-somalia-killed-up-to-174-people-in-2025-monitoring-group-says

#Ethiopia: Cargo trucks resume entry into #Tigray, following federal suspension over claims goods were ‘smuggled outside region’

Cargo trucks carrying goods to Tigray have resumed travel after federal authorities had earlier “prohibited the vehicles from entering” the region, citing claims that supplies were “being smuggled outside of the region’s borders” and “sold illegally through contraband,” according to the Tigray Interim Administration. The blockade, which affected trucks traveling through the #Afar and #Amhara regions, was lifted following talks between Lieutenant General Tadesse Werede and Federal Police Commissioner General Demelash Gebremichael.

The Tigray President’s Office stated that both sides “agreed to establish a joint committee” to “investigate whether the information is accurate,” and that “a corrective and control system” would follow the findings. It added that trucks halted mid-route would be “immediately released” and emphasized that “such disruptions will not happen again” under the new understanding. The move followed a letter from the Tigray Trade and Documentation Agency urging the Ministry of Trade to clarify “why they were prohibited” and to “take appropriate measures” in response.

Opposition parties in Tigray, including TIP, Baytona, and Arena, criticized the obstruction, stating they “strongly condemn the obstruction of trucks carrying consumables to Tigray.” The joint statement argued the federal government “bears full responsibility—if not for orchestrating it, then for failing to prevent it or even condemn it.” They warned that the blockade “evokes painful memories of the genocidal blockade imposed during the war” and described the restriction of supplies as “unjust, dangerous, and fuels conditions that embolden those seeking to exploit the crisis.”

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50619

#Sudan’s new prime minister dissolves caretaker government

Sudan’s new Prime Minister Kamil Idris on Sunday dissolved the caretaker government, a day after he was sworn in before the chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Idris announced the dissolution of the Cabinet and instructed ministry secretaries-general and undersecretaries to run government operations “until a new one is formed,” according to Sudan’s state-run news agency SUNA.

In his first address to the nation, Idris said, “Our highest priority is safeguarding Sudan’s national security and state sovereignty by defeating the insurgency and armed rebel groups.” He also urged countries supporting the rebellion to “stop planning, financing and cooperating in such efforts,” without naming any specific states. Idris pledged to uphold the “principles of justice, peace, the rule of law and sustainable development” and said, “We will treat all political and national actors equally and stand at an equal distance from all.”

Idris said his government would promote “an inclusive Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue that leaves no one behind.” The post of prime minister had previously been informally held by Dafallah Al-Haj Yousif, Sudan’s former ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/sudan-s-new-prime-minister-dissolves-caretaker-government/3586279

#Ethiopia: Federal Supreme Court reinstates dropped charges against Taye Dendea; case returned to High Court

The Federal Supreme Court has reinstated two criminal charges previously dropped against former State Minister of Peace, Taye Dendea, following an appeal by the Federal Attorney General. The court's decision reverses an August 2024 ruling by the Lideta Branch of the Federal High Court, which had acquitted Taye of charges related to “propaganda messages in support of anti-peace forces” posted on social media and expressed in an interview. The initial court found that his remarks “did not constitute criminal acts” and fell within the bounds of his constitutional rights.

The Supreme Court, however, accepted the Attorney General's argument that the acquittals were “granted in error,” and referred the case back to the Federal High Court for further proceedings. Taye’s legal team, cited by the BBC, confirmed the reinstatement of the charges and said it remains unclear whether his bail—previously granted following the acquittals—will be revoked. The case is expected to be addressed in an upcoming session. A third charge related to the alleged possession of “unauthorized weapons” remains under trial.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50628

#Ethiopia: Defense Minister dismisses accusation of indiscriminate attacks by #ENDF, says mistakes are inevitable during operations

Aisha Mohammed, Ethiopian Minister of Defense, has dismissed accusations of indiscriminate attacks by the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), calling them “political opportunists' outcry” lacking substance. In a recent interview with the Ethiopian News Agency, responding to a question about accusations of indiscriminate attacks by the ENDF, he asserted that while no military operation is without flaws, the ENDF is a disciplined and professional force.

“I do not accept the characterization of the ENDF portrayed by some on social media. This is propaganda,” she said, describing the force as grounded in patriotism, discipline, science, and wisdom. Aisha emphasized that Ethiopia’s army is respected internationally, especially in peacekeeping missions, where its presence brings calm and contributes to reconciliation.


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